This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Functional activity studies have established prefrontal cortex (PFC) as a critical site for the formation and storage of permanent memories, which likely requires synaptic plasticity in the PFC. Unlike other brain regions, e.g. the hippocampus, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying PFC plasticity are poorly understood. This project investigates the role of dopamine in prefrontal synaptic plasticity.